Always have had great service and incredible food! Check it out, you won't be disappointed!

Here for a late breakfast with the hubby. Had to wait 15min to get a seat because the place is so popular so be prepared to wait. Very little seating area. The restaurant is basically one large room with no real lighting. Just a bunch of string lighting across the ceiling but it's kinda cool. Farm house table and chairs. Casual dress to basically whatever you got on. EXTREMELY LOUD environment do to the boxed in one room you're parked in. The service is friendly and attentive. The food is delicious and priced fairly. We will be coming back to try more items on their menu but I think I'll be bringing ear plugs next time. :) read more

Fort Jesse Cafe - Eggs Benedict - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Normal, Illinois

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I really enjoyed having lunch here. Very welcoming and casual atmosphere. The staff were friendly and the service excellent. The food is delicious and you can tell only quality ingredients are used. They add their own unique twist to traditional breakfast and lunch favorites. Lots of variety to choose from. I will definitely return soon. read more

Fort Jesse Cafe is one of my favorite places to go for brunch. The menu is yummy and interesting and everything I've ever had here tastes delicious. The only reason I left off a star is because I really wish they had a liquor license & could sell mimosas & bloody marys - then it would truly be the best brunch spot in town! Expect a wait, especially if you come with a large group of people. The wait is worth it, though. And Fort Jesse does its best to offset your boredom while you wait with lawn games and sidewalk chalk to play with. Fort Jesse is what I recommend to people who come to visit. It's one of Bloomington-Normal's coolest spots! read more

I was at this place years ago, but I realized I never finished my review. Fort Jesse Cafe is just plain solid. The food isn't gourmet, but this is a small business where you know you will receive good food. Recommend for breakfast or lunch when you want something quick but sit down. read more

Good food and excellent service. The selections are more creative than most breakfast places. Make a reservation if you go on a weekend. read more

The food choices were diverse with something for meat lovers as well as vegans. I had the turkey bacon sandwich that had a sweet homemade blackberry jam on it-fabulous. My friend ordered the Cuban and both were large portions that had to be cut to eat. Wait staff was attentive. Don't miss this one. read more

I heard it was busy; so I almost left them a 3-star review then didn't go. Instead we ventured into the supposed madness and found a very reasonable wait time, smiling people everywhere and a fun casual atmosphere. I had the Grandpa's breakfast and it was delicious. Our table had chicken and waffles, a Benedict dish and some biscuits and gravy and everyone loved it. My only complaint was that I ordered a Coca Cola and the server gave me so many refills I probably had a 2 liters worth by the time I left. If you like food that tastes good, people who are nice, America or puppies you should totally try FJC. If not, I hear Denny's never has a wait I'll be back!!! read more

Wonderful breakfast! I would suggest the chicken and waffles with their seasonal coffee option! Our waiter was lovely and we never had empty glasses. read more

Amazing food. Have some quirky menu items along with usual breakfast fare. Nothing commonplace about the food however. For Southerners, only place in town with good grits. read more

I love Fort Jesse, it's the only good food I've eaten in the area. I live in Gurnee and I'll only go to the Bloomington area if I know beforehand that I can eat there. read more

This place looks fantastic but reservations for breakfast? Maybe I will try another time but the mask required for entry sign at the entrance coupled with the need for advanced reservations skewed my first impression. read more

It was super busy but our food was good and the service was good. Our server was nice and the hostess was also very pleasant. The owner even checked on us to make sure the food was good. read more

The food is always delicious, my favorite being any thing they make with sweet potatoes. The service is quick and responsive, I've never waited for long. Overall, the ambiance is nice. Though the room is open and crowded, I have never felt like I'm competing with noise or crowds to enjoy my meal. read more

Long wait but so worth it! the interior is so cute and the employees are sooo friendly! i got their february specials (i think that's what they were) the cold brew with cookie dough syrup was SO good i could have it every morning and their blueberry lemon pancakes were so good too! i couldn't really taste the lemon at all but the blueberry part was good. i can't wait to come back and try more! read more

Fort Jesse Cafe - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Normal, Illinois

Salad was of great quality. I enjoyed it immensely just wish it had more shrimp. Service is always good as well.

Fort Jesse food is good, the waiting time not so much. I've ended up waiting in line for upwards of an hour just to sit down and get cold food, the food is usually pretty good though. read more

Best breakfast restaurant in town. Every dish here is made with love and fresh ingredients. I usually get the Bruschetta Skillet and I've never been let down. My girlfriend normally gets the Chicken and Waffles and those are also great. I've been here so many times and no meal ever looked rushed even though they get busy everyday. Only downside to this place is the size. It gets busy really quick and the waiting times can be long but its worth it. The place is small but its homey and has character. I wouldn't want them to get a different location. I am now graduated from ISU but anytime i come back to blono I make sure I come here for breakfast or lunch. read more

They were amazing!! I reserved a table by calling ahead which made it so easy to come right in and sit down without being around too many people in the waiting area. The staff was friendly and wore masks the entire time. I loved my meal and I will definitely be back! read more

Fort Jesse Cafe - Bruschetta skillet and blueberry lemon pancakes - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Normal, Illinois

One of our favorite spots in blo-no for breakfast! We've only eaten at the actual restaurant maybe 3 times but order DoorDash or pickup at least twice a month and it's delicious either way!!! Love the French toast and their hash browns are to die for!!! Would give more than 5 starts if I could read more

Overrated and arrogant staff. Tried this place multiple times before with different people etc and each time I left feeling unhappy with the food and the service. The food is extremely overrated. The service leaves much to be desired. My husband went recently and was ignored by the waitstaff. It feels like a lot of people go here because they try so hard to put on a facade to support the local business model. I love supporting local businesses when they deserve it, but time and time again Fort Jesse has proven that they don't. Please don't waste your money here. read more

Stopped by Fort Jesse Cafe around 10:30am on Sunday for some breakfast. I knew it was going to be a long wait from the others reviews. Once we got there we were told it would be an hour wait. Luckily they do a great job of providing entertainment while waiting outside such as bags, sidewalk chalk, and hula hoops. Service: Not great like I was hoping for. When we reached about 45 mins of our wait, I noticed couples that had arrived after us being seated. I wanted to make sure that we didn't miss our name being called so I went in to check. When I asked about how many people in front of us, the hostess seemed very annoyed and just said you have 15 more minutes until it's an hour. Ok then.... After waiting for a little more than an hour we were finally seated. It was obviously very busy in there and they seemed to need more help. Our waiter arrived to take our order about 10 minutes after being seated. Normally, nothing too drastic but after waiting for over an hour we were super hungry. Food: To drink I had the cold brew which was fantastic. My husband had the Mo-Joe which was also very good. To eat, I had the breakfast burrito. It was good but could use far less onions. Next time I will order without as there were more onions than anything else in the burrito. My husband had the Chicken and Waffles which I also tried. It was good, but the waffle needed to be much crisper. All in all, I would try Fort Jesse cafe again. They certainly have some service issues that they seem to need to work through (a smile really does go a long way) but perhaps we would receive better service arriving at a earlier time. read more

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Weekend brunch at Fort Jesse Cafe is always good. Wait time is long but the food is defiantly worth the wait. I love coming to this place during the weekends. Weekend special menu surprises me every time. This this food was super delicious! Will defiantly be coming here again. read more

Fort Jesse Cafe - Weekend special asparagus, shrimp with the poached egg skillet. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Normal, Illinois

Excellent food and service. We were seated right away. Service was impeccable and the food was outstanding. Love it

Fabulous every time. Amazing food, incredible service. Every visit is the same, a delicious and awesome experience.

Reason for my rating is due to service. I went in & signed up with the hostess, gave her my name and number. I was told it'll be a 45 min wait. That's fine I didn't mind, I know it gets busy. My husband and I were the only ones waiting. It's been hot so we decided to wait in my car which is right by the entrance. I could see through the window, other people showed up did the same thing and went to their cars to wait. After an hour I see a couple who showed up after us head inside, so I'm like hmm . I head inside mention my name & they said oh we tried calling you and didn't get an answer.... I was watching from the outside and made eye contact with the hostess multiple times as she looked out the window, not once did I see her pick up the phone. I had my phone on loud and next to me the whole time for that reason. When I told her I had been outside, she looked around and said oh we can sit you over here. Honestly, it was my first time going here. Impression was bad & I was truly bothered by the situation. No apology or anything, I told my husband let's just go. Being new to the area I wanted to support smaller businesses rather than Denny's etc but honestly. I won't give this place another chance. read more

We read many reviews on this Cafe and were intrigued. We enjoy simple but tasty food. We called ahead to get on the list(reservation). Best move! Got seated immediately and were greeted by a very nice server Taylor P. We ordered the eggs Benedict and French Toast breakfasts. The food was ready very quickly, the coffee was dark and bold which was perfect to me. Nice and simple dining room, good food and good service added up to a win for us! read more

Breakfast was delicious and the restaurant offered a wide range of options. The Chicken and Waffles looked delicious! Our one complaint would be how we were told a limit was set on how long we could sit at the table due to upcoming reservations. That's fine, we don't need longer then 50 mins to eat, but it was off putting all the same. If you're in the area make a reservation and hit this place up - the food is worth the effort! read more

Fort Jesse Cafe - BBQ Benedict - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Normal, Illinois

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Was in town for work and had to stop by this place for breakfast based on the Yelp reviews! Decided on the country fried steak breakfast and I was definitely not disappointed. Basically, it's hashbrowns, topped with a country fried steak, gravy, two eggs, and green onions. It's definitely not a lite breakfast or for those that intend to live a long and healthy life! I thought it was a very good meal. Let's start from the bottom and work our way up. The hashbrowns surprisingly held up even though they had a lot of stuff piled on top of them. Crispy, well seasoned...I approve. HOWEVER, from seeing everyone around me, I wish I had swapped out the hashbrowns for a biscuit. Next time... Now to the country fried steak. I really like country fried steak but it's SUCH a risky thing to order in my opinion. Not here. It was crispy around the edges, a higher quality of meat, and very well seasoned. Even with gravy and hashbrowns and everything else with it, I could taste that it has been seasoned with salt and pepper...and seasoned generously! The black pepper gravy was delicious. It was creamy and held a depth of flavor that's hard to find in gravy. Whoever was in the kitchen definitely has some Southern roots, and that gravy was proof! The meal would have been great without the eggs, but who passes up the opportunity to watch the yolk run all over their breakfast? No one does. And on top, an unexpected but very pleasant surprise...the green onion. The green onions provided a crunch and a punch of freshness that the heavy meal needed! Overall a very good meal and service was great. Highly recommend! read more

Fort Jesse Cafe - Country fried steak. Very very good! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Normal, Illinois

There are not enough stars on this app to tell you how wonderful this place is. this little mom and pop has the most interesting menus and the staff is incredible the food is well portioned and reasonably priced for the very interesting things that you get to eat. very charmingly decorated and the customers are wonderful because he has to sit close to them because there's so many people trying to get in here because it's the best place in town to eat a true gem hidden in the middle of normal Illinois. read more

Fort Jesse Cafe - Wonderful place to eat. Great staff! Most interesting menu. You need to come and see for yourself!!! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Normal, Illinois

Always fantastic and can always find a different dish that becomes my favorite. The staff is friendly and seems to like being there, and the quality is consistent. Definitely a must if you're visiting Blo-No. read more

I came here in the morning to get some breakfast before training. I ordered the shrimp and grits which was pretty good. The grits can use a little bit of salt and some butter so it won't be so flavorless and dry but overall did not disappoint at all. The shrimp and Turkey sausage was nicely seasoned so it gave the grits lots of flavor. I would honestly skip out on the over hard egg. Throws the meal off. The staffs are very friendly so I really liked that.and everybody's food around looked good. So I recommend this place. read more

Excellent food with big portions and friendly staff. Had the Cajun Skillet and it was excellent.

Doesn't look like much from the outside, but it's wonderful! Unique, delicious food; great staff; and comfortable setting.

Hands down, Fort Jesse Cafe is the best breakfast spot in town. The specials are always top-notch, the servers have superb personality, and the atmosphere is upbeat and contemporary. When I'm in the forlorn depths of a hangover, it is Fort Jesse that restores my spirit. I usually get the chorizo burrito, which is both massive and beautiful, and comes on a bed of hash browns. I've also had the General Tso's chicken sandwich, which admittedly didn't yield as much chicken as I usually intend to slam down my gullet, but the sauce was packed with flavor and had a nice, moderate heat. Vegetarians have some great options here as well; for example, their pancakes are, like me, as scrumptious as they are thick, so any breakfast combo that includes them will fill you up and strong-arm you back to your house for a food coma. 10/10 recommend. read more

We are traveling from the south and stopped here to see our family. Went to Fort Jesse Cafe which very close by and handy for hotel guests off of veteran's drive. Our waitress name was Maria and provided us with outstanding service, a wonderful can do personality,and bubbly attitude, and a gorgeous smile that made the excellent food taste like the best breakfast we've had in any of our travels throughout the US and abroad. I reccommend this place with 5 stars for excellent food, and outstanding service. The restaurants popularity became obvious as the morning hours began getting noisier as the time approached lunch. Travelers and locals alike enjoy this hidden little gem located in of all places "Normal" illinois. great read more

The chicken strips from the chicken and waffle meal were small, as if they were scrapes or ends pieces of the chicken. There was little chicken, mostly breading. I previously ordered this meal in July and I had a good experience. The food quality has gone down. read more

Fort Jesse Cafe - The chicken strips from the Chicken & Waffle meal. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Normal, Illinois

The food and the atmosphere was superb!! I have gone to Illinois state for four years now and most of the breakfast options are either so busy or it's some chain restaurant where I don't wanna give my money to when I would rather give it to a small business. For Jesse Café is the perfect breakfast spot because they have such fun unique options for all lifestyles and especially for me since I'm pescatarian, this menu means so much to me because they have options I can have. The staff is also always so nice and very calm in the morning. I will be going there to breakfast this morning you should too !! read more

Warning for all travelers. Don't go here unless you have a reservation. There were empty seats, and they said it were a 45 minute wait. Never been to a restaurant you had to have a reservation for breakfast. How sad. read more

It's a win win at Fort Jesse's! Always great food love them! Everything I've ever gotten there has been fabulous